Where Life Leads You
by BSparrow
Summary: It is the summer after graduation and no one really knows what they're going to do with their lives. There are plenty of decisions to be made before fall comes. Where will life lead the Pink Ladies and the T-birds?
1. Chapter 1

**Rizzo has always been my favorite character from Grease, and I've always loved Kenickie. Yeah, that says a lot for me huh? So this story is mainly focused on that couple, but with a lot involving the rest of the gang. Reviews make me so happy! :) **

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"God. I'm melting over here."

Betty Rizzo took another drag from her cigarette, fanning her face with her hand. Beside her, Marty was reading a glossy magazine as Frenchy painted her toenails a soft shade of pink. Sandy was sitting on her other side, wearing a hat with a huge brim to keep the sun off her face and sipping lemonade from a thermos. The boys were farther down the beach, goofing off at the water's edge as the waves lapped at their ankles.

"Me too...this sun is terrible on my complexion." Marty complained, lifting her heart shaped sunglasses to peer at Frenchy's nail-painting handiwork.

"Anyone want some lemonade?" Sandy offered quietly with a small smile on her face, her eyes focused on Danny as he shoved Sonny into the water, laughing.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks Sandy." Frenchy took a healthy swig from Sandy's thermos then lit her own cigarette.

Jan plopped down beside Sandy, finishing off the last bite of a hot dog. The small group was quiet for a moment, then Marty turned to Rizzo with a quizzical look.

"Riz, did you ever find out about that...thing?" She asked quietly, but not quietly enough.

"What thing?" Frenchy squeaked, tying a colorful scarf over her equally colorful hair.

"Marty!" Rizzo hissed, narrowing her eyes and arousing the suspicions of the other girls.

"What's going on, Rizzo?" Sandy leaned forward to look searchingly into Rizzo's eyes.

"Nothing. Nothing is going on." Rizzo said a little too quickly.

"Come on, you can tell us. Wait...you're not..." Jan questioned, her eyes growing wide.

"No! No. Nothing like that." Rizzo shook her head, standing up quickly and brushing non-existent sand from the seat of her shorts. "I'm going to the restroom."

As she walked away, the girls watched her suspiciously. When she was a suitable distance from their towel, three pairs of eyes turned immediately to Marty who was looking anxious and biting her thumbnail.

"What?" Marty exclaimed in a high-pitch tone.

"Tell us what's going on!" Frenchy demanded, scooting closer to Marty on the towel.

Marty sighed but knew it was in vain. She could never keep a secret. So she leaned forward and the three other girl's heads formed a circle as she began to whisper.


	2. Chapter 2

"Well, maybe I shouldn't say anything..." Marty paused, relishing her moment of power as the girls waited breathlessly to hear about Rizzo's secret. Marty drew out the anticipation until Frenchy finally smacked her over the head with the magazine and unceremoniously flattened her hairdo.

Marty glowered and proceeded with her story, "Well you see, Riz has an aunt that lives in San Francisco that married some rich old producer. It turns out she's always liked Rizzo because she doesn't have any kids of her own. And by the sound of it, she and Rizzo are a lot alike. Anyway, she wants to pay for her to go to college out there and live with her. But Rizzo can't decide if she should, so she's been trying to find out more about the college and what she could go there for."

Frenchy gasped, her face falling. "Rizzo is gonna leave us?"

Sandy patted Frenchy's knee, smiling reassuringly. "It'll be okay Frenchy. Just think how good college would be for Rizzo. It's a good thing."

Jan frowned as she looked towards Marty, "Why'd she tell you and not us?"

Marty rolled her eyes, leaning back on the towel. "I overheard her on the phone with her aunt when I picked her up earlier."

"Do you think she'll go? How could she leave Kenickie?" Frenchy seemed horrified at the idea, and the girls mulled it over as they turned to see Danny and Kenickie playfully shoving each other as they walked back towards the towel.

"I don't know...I don't think she's decided yet. But hey, keep it quiet okay? I don't want her to find out I told anybody." Marty appeared apprehensive now, perhaps remembering the last time she'd blabbed one of Rizzo's secrets.

They all nodded, and moments later the boys settled down on the towel, raising the noise level considerably. Rizzo returned from the bathroom and plopped herself down on the towel next to Kenickie who immediately kissed her on the cheek and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, cut the lovey dovey stuff and pass me a sandwich." Sonny grumbled, receiving a shove from Kenickie for his efforts.

"Don't be jealous just because you ain't got nowhere with Marty." Kenickie chuckled, throwing the sandwich at Sonny forcefully.

"Yeah, unlike every other guy at Rydell." Doody quipped, and the other boys burst into laughter.

Marty didn't seem to notice, she was busy studying her Billboard magazine again and slapping Sonny's roaming hands away.

The gang commenced to eating their lunch and talking comfortably as old friends do. The beach was slowly filling up as the day passed by lazily.

"I just can't believe our first summer after high school is almost gone so soon." Sandy sighed, laying her head on Danny's shoulder.

The rest of the crowd mumbled in agreement and Putzie asked, "So what's everybody gonna be doing now that we don't gotta go to Rydell anymore?"

They pondered this for a moment and Danny answered first, "I've already got a job lined up fixing cars at my cousin's place. Gotta earn enough money to get me and Sandy a place so we can get hitched."

Frenchy smiled fondly at Sandy, "Are you getting a job, Sandy?"

Sandy nodded at her friend with a smile as bright as the sun looming overhead, "My father needs a receptionist...I'll just be answering phones and taking dictation but he's going to pay me for it. Are you still planning to go back to beauty school?"

"Yeah, they say I can pick up right where I left off! I just hope I can pass the tinting class this time." Frenchy bit her lip but smiled when Doody whispered a soft reassurance into her ear.

"Tell 'em what you're gonna do, Doody!" Frenchy urged him, smiling encouragingly.

"Well...I got a job at Mayor Jordan's office. I gotta get a new suit though...they say the one I wore to the dance won't work."

At this announcement, the gang was thrown into silence. They stared at Doody in shock.

"You're gonna be working for the mayor?" Danny looked baffled. "Why?"

"I don't know...they hired me. My old man works with him and besides, I think it'll be a good job. Pretty good pay, too." Doody shrugged, suddenly seeming more mature than ever before.

Frenchy beamed up at him, her eyes shining with pride for her boyfriend.

"Well, I don't have to get a job. My mom says women shouldn't work so I'll just be sitting around waiting to get married and pop out some kids I guess." Jan sighed and took a bite out of her second sandwich, shifting the focus off of Doody.

"So that means I gotta get a good job. Mr. Worthington says he'll hire me to go door to door selling his new vacuum models." Doody tried and failed to sound cheerful about this prospect.

"Yeah well at least you won't be flipping burgers at Frosty's." Sonny grumbled, his face a mask of resentment towards his future job.

"Come on Sonny, workin' at Frosty's won't be so bad." Marty had finally put down her magazine and patted Sonny lightly on the shoulder.

"Yeah, well what are you gonna be doing princess?" Sonny retorted.

"I...I…well I don't know. My sister said she could help me get a job working at the same factory she works at but I think I'd like to work at Stella's. Maybe I'd get a discount on the clothes there."

From there, the attention turned towards Kenickie and Rizzo who were busy making out and ignoring the conversation. Danny sighed and cleared his throat. This had no affect so he cleared it again. And a third time. Finally he kicked Kenickie in the shin, quickly ruining the lovebird's mood.

Rizzo blew out a breath loudly and fluffed her hair as Kenickie wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and glared at Danny.

"Kenickie...join the conversation. Are you gonna take that job at my cousin's place with me?" Danny inquired curiously.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tell him I want the job, will ya?" Kenickie grinned lasciviously and threw his arm around Rizzo who was busy lighting another cigarette. "Gotta earn some paychecks for the little lady here."

Rizzo was uncharacteristically silent; avoiding everyone's eyes and looking tense.

"Riz, what about you?" Danny asked, raising a brow at her quiet attitude.

"Huh?" Rizzo looked up quickly, wearing a guilty expression as she exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.

"I said, what are you gonna be doing while Kenickie is out earning paychecks for you?" Danny repeated, laughing.

"Oh...well...I don't know yet. I might...I might...go to college." Rizzo said quietly, staring at the towel beneath her.

Marty, Frenchy, Jan, and Sandy shared an anxious glance as the whole crowd took in Kenickie's shocked expression.

"What? Did you say you're going to college?" Kenickie asked, removing his arm from around her waist and leaning forward to try to get Rizzo to look him in the eye.

"Might. I might go to college. I don't know yet." She sighed, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

"You can't afford college!" Kenickie hissed, his jaw clenched.

"No kidding. But did you ever stop and think that maybe I know somebody who can?" Rizzo snapped back, her expression revealing her exasperation.

"Come on Riz, just tell me what's going on here."

"My aunt, okay? She lives in San Francisco and she wants to pay for me to go to college out there." Rizzo told him tartly, and then glanced at her friends who hurried to busy themselves looking anywhere but in her direction.

"San Francisco? What? Do you know how damn far away that is?" He asked, hurt palpable in his tone.

"Yeah, I know." Rizzo sighed, taking another drag as the sudden silence became almost too much to bear.


	3. Chapter 3

"Riz, come on, you don't need no college. Stay here...with me." Kenickie scooted closer and whispered quietly in her ear, his hand resting on her thigh.

Rizzo was visibly torn, chewing absently on her thumbnail as she stared out at the waves rolling in towards the beach. She glanced back towards Kenickie who met her eyes pleadingly. Beneath his hard surface, she knew he loved her. What she didn't know was whether or not that love would be enough.

Sure, it was fine for now. But what would happen in five years? They had never had a stable relationship, however much they had been through together. What happened when their on-again-off-again turned into a permanent off-again? She had seen how devastated her mother had been when she had discovered Rizzo's father's numerous infidelities. That, coupled with his alcoholism, made her life miserable. But Mrs. Rizzo had never had the option of leaving her husband, she had never had an education and wasn't prepared to do anything more than housework and mothering. So she would never be able to get a job or support herself without a husband. Rizzo knew that wasn't the sort of future she wanted to face.

But as she stared at Kenickie, his puppy-dog eyes turned her insides to mush and she couldn't help but grin at him, "I haven't decided anything yet, Kenick. Don't worry about it, huh?"

He hesitated for a moment then nodded, but she could see that this wasn't the end of their discussion.

The rest of the day slipped away quickly as they talked, gossiped, snacked, and horsed around in the water. Soon the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon, casting long shadows all across the beach. They began to shake the sand from their towels and pack up the remains of their lunches, quickly reaching the decision to head to Frosty's and get some burgers for dinner.

The place was crowded as they stepped through the door. The smell of hamburgers sizzling and that distinctive chilly sweetness in the air that accompanied ice cream was comfortingly familiar. Couples were dancing languidly to Jerry Lee Lewis near the jukebox and Vai rushed by looking frazzled as usual.

"Just where I wanna be, my future place of employment." Sonny muttered as he slid into a seat next to Marty who shot him an exasperated look.

"You again? What, you want to start work already or somethin'?" Vai asked as she stepped up to the table, pad in hand and ready to jot down orders.

Sonny blushed and looked guilty for a moment, then quickly recovered to glare at Vai as he muttered in Italian while slumping down farther in his seat.

"Vaffanculo, you little rat." Vai growled, thumping Sonny on the head with her little notebook.

Sonny looked shocked but the rest of the table burst into laughter, then began calling out orders. The jukebox clicked over to a Buddy Holly song as Danny and Sandy slipped out of their seats.

"Hey guys, I gotta get Sandy home. Catch up with ya later." Danny muttered, his expression looking vaguely irritated as began to pull Sandy towards the door.

"What, she's still got a curfew?" Kenickie chuckled but the couple had already slipped through the crowd and out the door.

"Yeah, sure he's taking her straight home." Doody joked, nudging Kenickie who laughed appreciatively at his joke.

Vai arrived out of the crowd to slam a few sodas and milkshakes down onto the table then returned quickly with a tray full of burgers with fries.

"Oh, oh, oh!" Marty began to babble almost incoherently around a mouthful of fries, patting the table excitedly with her eyes focused on the entrance.

"What is it? Don't choke Marty!" Frenchy reached out to smack Marty rather forcefully on the back, and finally Marty managed to choke down her food.

"Patty Simcox just walked in!" Marty announced, her eyes glowing with excitement as she looked expectantly at her friends.

She was met with silence and blank stares.

"So?" Rizzo said, raising a brow disdainfully.

"Oh I forgot to tell everybody! She's getting married!" Marty revealed as quietly as possible while still managing to be heard above the music and chatter.

"What? To who?" Frenchy strained her neck to get a look at Patty, most especially her ring finger.

"Oh you'll never guess, you'll never guess! Eugene Felnic!" Marty exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

"Eugene and Patty? Bull!" Doody guffawed, slapping the table and nearly knocking over his drink.

"No, no it's true. I heard it's because she found out his dad is head of a bank in Fresno and he's gonna make Eugene head of it while he takes over another one. Or something like that." Marty said flippantly, taking a sip of her milkshake.

"Well we all knew it wasn't for his looks." Rizzo said, rolling her eyes.

"Well everyone can't land a stud like me, baby." Kenickie joked, clasping her hand and pressing his lips to the back of it.

As her friends mulled over the news about Patty and finished their food, Rizzo felt distant and disconnected from their conversation. She knew she would feel anxious and unsettled until she and Kenickie finally discussed their situation. She was prepared to stay with him if he could offer her a real, secure, and stable future but if he wasn't ready for that she knew what she had to do. Rizzo had always been the one to take risks, but even she knew that everyone had to grow up at some point.

Feeling apprehensive, she tapped Kenickie on the shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Let's go outside…we need to talk."

Kenickie swallowed hard but nodded in agreement. After the bill was paid the couple slipped from the booth and sauntered out into the warm darkness to discuss something far more mature than cars or the new drive-in movie.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks, everyone, for the reviews! They really helped me get through this chapter. I know this isn't ground-breaking life-altering stuff here but Grease is too much fun to make it too heavy! Anyways, I think there will probably only be one or two more chapters after this one. : )  
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Outside of Frosty's, the night air seemed heavy but perhaps it was just the tension they were both feeling. Kenickie lit a cigarette and it glowed orange as they stood in silence.

Rizzo shifted her weight from foot to foot, wrapping her arms around herself and feeling unsure of how to initiate the conversation. Kenickie looked impatient, smoking his cigarette and staring out into the street at the cars leisurely passing by.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Rizzo couldn't stand it anymore and finally burst out with, "Kenickie, do you really love me?"

As soon as the words flew from her mouth, she cringed. She never meant to sound so desperate and vulnerable. Kenickie looked equally taken aback as he turned towards her, the cigarette that had been dangling from his lip falling to the ground un-noticed.

"W-what I meant was…well…where are we going? What's gonna happen with us? You know…we can't just keep making out in your backseat at the drive-in for the rest of our lives." Rizzo told him haughtily, throwing her shoulders back for good measure, to ensure that her brassy façade was safely in place once again.

"Yeah." Kenickie nodded in agreement, smoothing a hand over his greasy hair thoughtfully.

Rizzo waited for him to go on but eventually realized that one word was all she was going to be getting from him. A twinge of irritation shot through her as he stood there before her with a blank expression, his gooped up hair gleaming in the streetlight.

"Yeah? That's all you got to say about our future? Yeah?!" Rizzo growled, as the twinge grew and expanded into full blown outrage.

Kenickie took a step back, knowing he was in trouble, "Riz…whatta ya want from me? What, you want me to drop down on one knee right here and propose? If that's what you want, I'll do it."

To prove his point he dropped down on one knee and cleared his throat in preparation for a long, rambling proposal. Rizzo stared at him in bewilderment for a moment then started laughing and smacked him over the head.

"Get up you big buffoon. Come on, be serious. I ain't asking you to propose to me tonight, I just wanna know that you plan on doin' it someday. That you plan on stickin' with me for the long haul." Rizzo said as she helped him to his feet.

Kenickie didn't even hesitate, he took her hand and grinned, "You really gotta ask? Riz, I ain't never been good with words or nothin' but…well, I love you and I always will. And I know no matter how much we fight, that we're always gonna be together. Is that enough for you?"

Rizzo couldn't hold back the smile that spread across her face as a warm and fuzzy feeling bubbled up inside her. To her horror, she even felt her eyes misting up. Quickly swallowing the blissful butterflies that were fluttering inside her she gave him a little shove.

"Well, that wasn't the most romantic thing I ever heard but it'll do. But what about the college thing? I really wanna go Kenickie, but I don't wanna leave you." Rizzo said softly, her smile slowly being replaced by the same anxious expression she had worn earlier.

Kenickie nodded and seemed to be thinking for a long moment but finally replied, "So you'll go. And I'll go with you. I can get a job out there somewhere and we'll get a place together and we'll make it work."

Rizzo thought this over and suddenly grinned, "That could work...I can't believe I didn't think of that! When did you get so smart?"

She laughed and punched him playfully in the stomach. He groaned and pulled her close, kissing her ardently.

"Oh get off me. You think you're some kinda genius Romeo now? Hey buddy, let me tell you, when you do propose to me, it better not be out on the street in front of a dive like this or you'll be in trouble." Rizzo snapped playfully as soon as he removed his lips from hers.

To quiet her down, he kissed her again.

"Oh look at 'em….going at it again! They never give it a break." Doody chuckled as the gang poured out of the door and onto the sidewalk.

Kenickie wrapped his arm around Rizzo as they followed their friends down the sidewalk. The main topic was still Patty's impending marriage to Eugene and whether or not they would ever even be able to consummate the marriage.

"Hey wait a minute, where's Sonny?" Kenickie stopped, looking around behind them.

"Oh he stayed behind to help Vai close up." Putzie answered as they all started walking again.

No one seemed to think this was odd except for Kenickie who raised a brow at Rizzo. She seemed equally perplexed.

"Hey, drive-in tomorrow night right?" Kenickie called out as he helped Rizzo into his car and then slid in behind her.

"Yeah…what's playing?" Frenchy asked, hanging her head out of the backseat of Marty's borrowed car where she was crammed in next to Doody.

"I don't know…I think it's a scary one."

Everyone agreed to meet at the drive-in the next night and Frenchy promised to inform Danny and Sandy of their plans.

Assured that all was well with the world, they cruised off into the night, still savoring their last few weeks of summer before they were thrown out into the real world.


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the summer passed in a flurry of trips to the beach, movies at the drive-in, and nights spent in serious conversation at Frosty's. No one was quite prepared to face the world as a genuine adult but they all knew it was coming sooner or later. The dread they felt for the end of summer was worse than it had ever been, and they didn't even have to go back to school.

Well, one of them did. Rizzo had written to her aunt, confirming her plans, and had received an eager three-page letter from her saying that everything was arranged and ready for her arrival. Her aunt said that her classes would be beginning soon and that Rizzo should come out as soon as possible. Rizzo had neglected to mention that she would be bringing Kenickie along, but she knew her aunt wouldn't mind. Her aunt considered herself a very "modern" woman and made every effort to seem open-minded and "hip".

The night before Rizzo and Kenickie planned to leave, everyone decided to get together as a sort of going-away party. Frosty's was too crowded so they decided to stay outside in the parking lot instead. Perched on the hoods of the cars, they sat around in silence for a while, pondering their futures.

"I still can't believe you guys are leaving." Frenchy said mournfully, staring at Rizzo as if she was trying to memorize her features.

"I know. But we'll come back and visit a lot. I'll have summers off." Rizzo said, lacing her fingers through Kenickie's and squeezing his hand for support.

He snubbed out his cigarette and sighed. "Yeah, you might have summers off but I'm gonna be working."

"We're all gonna be working. For the rest of our lives." Danny commented, wrapping his arm around Sandy who looked to be on the verge of tears.

"It's not gonna be so bad. At least we won't have to go to Rydell anymore." Putzie chuckled.

"But I'm gonna miss Rydell." Jan said softly, and everyone agreed.

"Hey, come on everybody. This is our going-away party and I don't wanna spend it watching all of you sniffle." Rizzo jumped off the hood, pulling Kenickie with her. "Let's go dance and eat and do like we always do. It might be our last night together…for a while anyways."

Sandy smiled for the first time that night. "Let's do it."

They spent the rest of the night dancing and laughing like they weren't scared of the future. Kenickie stood menacingly over the jukebox, scaring anyone away that might want to play a slow, sad song. Eventually the rest of the patrons gave up and left them with it. Even Vai went home, leaving the restaurant in Sonny's care even though he didn't officially start working there until the next day. When they had played out all the good songs, they decided to lock up and leave. It was four a.m. and nobody was ready to say good-bye. So they bought some beer and headed for the past one last time.

The Rydell High School parking lot looked completely different in the darkness, devoid of cars and students rushing around.

Marty wandered towards a parking space and giggled. "Hey, this is where we used to park Pinky every morning."

Frenchy joined her. "Yeah, nobody ever took our spot even though we were always late."

"We were always late because you took forever doing your hair." Jan laughed, leaning against Frenchy and taking a swig from her bottle.

Rizzo walked up beside them and stared at the empty spot wistfully as she took a drag from her cigarette. "That's where me and Kenickie had our first kiss."

They all turned and looked at her, smiling fondly.

"I remember that. Was it 10th or 11th grade?" Marty asked, linking her arm through Rizzo's.

Meanwhile, the boys were busy trying to balance along the short dividing wall alongside the parking lot without spilling their beers. Kenickie was abstaining because he had a long drive ahead of him tomorrow but he was having a hard enough time balancing sober.

"Man, it seems like we were just freshmen." Danny laughed and stumbled, catching himself and finally just giving up and sitting down on the wall.

Kenickie plopped down beside him. "I know. Well, I had been a freshman for a year already when you were a freshman. You were such a little punk." He laughed, shoving Danny's arm and sloshing his drink on his jeans.

"You were the one that spent every day in detention. Didn't you set Miss Carver's trash can on fire a few times?" Danny asked, watching absently as Putzie took a tumble off the wall then sat in the grass and laughed at himself.

"Yeah. But they gave me detention for setting her desk on fire."

"How the hell did that even work?" Danny chuckled.

Soon the sun started to rise, turning the sky a soft pink color and casting their surroundings in a hazy early-morning light. The day was starting fresh, washing the slate clean, just like they were. They all knew it was time to leave, but no one wanted to be the first to go. They stood in a loose circle by their cars, each waiting for someone else to make the first move.

"I guess we better get going, we need to be heading out of here soon." Kenickie pulled Rizzo to his side and she nodded in agreement.

"You already packed and ready to go?" Doody asked them quietly. This time of morning made every word seem louder than a gun shot.

"Yeah, we just gotta go pick up Rizzo's stuff from her house and then we're gone." Kenickie told them.

Frenchy started to tear up first, then Sandy, then Jan, and finally Marty. To Rizzo's embarrassment, she found her own eyes wet as she hurried to pull them all into a tight hug.

"I'm gonna miss you all so much. You've gotta come visit us all the time. All the time. And you've gotta call me all the time, too. All the time! And I better be a damn bridesmaid when somebody gets married but I swear to God I ain't wearing some horrible dress." Rizzo half-laughed, half-sobbed into the tangle of arms and shoulders and hair.

Danny reached for Kenickie's hand and then pulled him into a brotherly hug. This time, they weren't embarrassed. "You be careful, man. I'll see ya." He said with a smile, slapping Kenickie on the back.

Kenickie just nodded with a crooked smile, mumbling his own brand of goodbyes as he shook the other guy's hands and smacked them around a little.

Then he and Rizzo climbed into his car and headed off into the sunrise, waving goodbye as they drove off into the unknown.


	6. Epilogue

**So I guess that this is the end. Hope no one gets too worked up over the direction that I saw everyone's life taking. Life isn't always perfect! Thanks, everyone, for reading and reviewing. :)  
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Rizzo and Kenickie flourished in San Francisco. Rizzo's aunt set them up in a nice apartment near the college and helped Kenickie get a job at a garage in town. After Rizzo got her business degree, Kenickie popped the question and they eloped in a simple ceremony at the courthouse. Rizzo got a job as a legal secretary for one of the most prominent lawyers in San Francisco. Meanwhile, Kenickie had become well-known in the local racing community. He thrived on the dirt tracks all over California and eventually made it to the big leagues, NASCAR. With his rough good looks, cocky attitude, and excellent racing skills he was a hit with fans and became one of the most popular drivers in the sport's history. He did so well that Rizzo quit her job to manage his career. At every local race, she made sure the whole gang had good seats waiting for them and they always showed up to cheer Kenickie on. Before long they had to get a much larger house because they had three sons who wanted to grow up to be just like their father. So they decided to move back home so their children could attend Rydell, just as they had. After many successful years of racing, Kenickie finally decided to retire and bought a decrepit old dirt track at the edge of town. He remodeled it and turned into one of the most successful amateur tracks in the state. Rizzo enjoyed running it like a drill sergeant while watching her husband teach their sons and other aspiring racers the finer points of racing and "being cool".

Danny excelled in his cousin's garage and found that he truly enjoyed working with cars. Sandy didn't enjoy her clerical job nearly as much and when a modeling agent sought her father's expertise, she jumped at the chance to become his latest muse. She had moderate success as a catalog model but her small-time fame went to her head and she left Danny to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles. When things didn't work out quite as she had planned and she found herself broke, she scurried home to Danny. He was waiting for her, having taken over ownership of the garage after his cousin died in a traffic accident. They married in a lovely ceremony and moved into a quaint little house right down the road from the garage. Soon Sandy gave birth to twins, one boy and one girl. She wasn't satisfied with just being a housewife, so she decided to start a bakery with one of Danny's sisters. They painted the building a lovely shade of pink and christened it The Pink Lady. They lived as a happy little family, Danny with his garage and Sandy with her bakery.

Frenchy and Doody broke up soon after that summer. Frenchy completed beauty school but found that she didn't enjoy doing people's hair as much as she thought she would. They were rude and too picky for her sensitive disposition. Surprisingly, she found that her skills were more suited to another kind of grooming and took a job at Pierre's Pretty Poodle where her creative scissoring and candy-colored dye jobs were more appreciated. She fell in love with a shaggy golden retriever and then fell in love with his owner, a handsome doctor. They married and ended up with a house full of very well-groomed puppies and one equally well-groomed daughter. Sadly, Frenchy's handsome doctor died when their daughter was 15 and Frenchy found herself living the life of a single parent, alone and depressed. She spent a few hard years struggling with alcoholism but when her daughter convinced her to attend an AA meeting, it changed her life. Not only was she able to work through her problems, she also fell for the counselor, a lovely man with a daughter of his own. They married and Frenchy never looked back.

Doody found that he wasn't well suited to work at the mayor's office after all and decided to join the military. He completed his training and settled into life, marrying a lovely waitress from Frosty's. He was called into service in 1968 at the height of the Vietnam War. Tragically, he was killed in combat. Everyone showed up at his funeral to say goodbye. Even Kenickie skipped an important championship race to pay respect to his beloved friend. It was a sad service; everyone was in tears as the soldiers folded the American flag and placed it tenderly in Doody's young wife's lap. At the graveside, after everyone had left, the T-Birds had a service of their own. They all cried a little and drank a beer for Doody, then lovingly folded his old leather jacket and placed it in front of his headstone.

Jan and Putzie got married and then quickly got divorced. They found that they were better suited to be friends and moved on with their lives. Jan moved back in with her parents and spent a lot of time sitting on their couch, watching their television and smoking. One fateful day she fell asleep with a lit cigarette and caught the house on fire. Fortunately, a big strapping off-duty firefighter was in the neighborhood and rushed in to save her from the flames. They married two years later and Jan stopped smoking for good. Putzie hated his door-to-door sales job and eventually surprised everyone by showing them he wasn't as dumb as he acted. He went back to school and worked to become a renowned scientific journalist. He decided he liked the bachelor lifestyle and never married, instead choosing to spend his time travelling the world and experiencing new things.

Marty denied ever having a relationship with Sonny, no matter what he said. She managed to get a job selling clothes at Stella's and quickly became the stores most in-demand salesgirl thanks to her blunt honesty and her excellent eye for color. When Stella's expanded and opened a new store in Los Angeles, they sent Marty there to train the new employees. One day a rich oil baron swooped in with his young girlfriend and swooped out with Marty on his arm instead. He bought her extravagant gifts and finally wooed her into marrying him with a giant diamond ring. Marty found that, in her case at least, money could buy love. She fell head over heels for her much-older husband and enjoyed the time they spent travelling to exotic locales until his death. After he was gone, Marty found that she was a lonely widow living in Paris with more money than she could ever spend. Her husband had taught her over the years that money wasn't everything and that was a lesson she wouldn't soon forget. She ended up devoting most of her time to charity work and became quite a generous philanthropist.

Sonny didn't hate his job at Frosty's nearly as much as he pretended. In fact, he enjoyed spending the days with Vai. But he couldn't flip burgers forever and when Danny became owner of his own garage, he hired Sonny to help run the place. When Vai's husband died a few years later, Sonny went to the funeral and gave her a shoulder to cry on. From there, their relationship bloomed into something more. They never married but it was obvious to everyone that they were very much in love. When Vai's daughter got pregnant but decided she didn't want to be a mother and split to Las Vegas soon after the birth, Vai and Sonny took over and raised Vai's adorable little grand-daughter. They certainly got strange looks at the pediatrician's office but they were too blissful to notice.

Miraculously, everyone managed to stay in contact. Even with Marty in Paris, Kenickie travelling the country racing, and Putzie hiking through foreign countries, they didn't drift apart. They didn't see each other nearly as much as they had in high school but the whole gang always managed to show up for weddings, funerals, births, and reunions. They never forgot Doody, the conversation always turned to their cherished memories with him and eventually they were able to smile when they talked about him, even though their eyes still got misty. Their children all went to Rydell together and carried on their parents legacy, becoming the next generation of T-Birds and Pink Ladies, forever terrorizing Rydell High School and making memories of their own.


End file.
